The Real Thing (14 page)

Logan
toss
ed
the
newspaper
down on the coffee table and
stormed
into the kitchen.

H
is sister
picked up the paper
and follow
ed.
“So, they just picked you out of all the men in world and
Photoshopped the pictures
to make
it look like the two of you are
involved?
”

Logan sighed and leaned back against the counter.
He and
Lydia
had always been close, so if he wanted to confide in anyone, it would be
her. Maybe talking about Raine would be cathartic.

“We met a few weeks ago when I was up at the cabin,” he finally said. “She was on her way to some spa when her car slid off the road. I
gave her a ride into the nearest
town, but
with
the snow
everything had already closed,
so I ended up taking her to the cabin instead.”

“That doesn’t explain this
.
”
Lydia held
up the
newspaper.
“Where does the kiss
outside your house
come in?”

He shrugged. “She came by the gallery to look a
t my work and ended up spending
the weekend.”

“
Ah.” His sister regarded him thoughtfully. “You know she’s getting married
in two days
, right?”

He clenched his jaw.
“
I didn’t until she told me.
”

“Which, I’m guessing from the look on you face, wasn’t until after yo
u two slept
together.”

“Yeah.” He stared down at the floor. “She says
she’s
only marr
ying this guy
to help get her career back on track, that it isn’t even going to be
a real marriage
.
” He shook his head, as if it should be as completely obvious to his sister as it was to him that this was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard. “
S
he wanted us t
o keep seeing each other on the
side.”

“
And you told her
no.”

“Damn right I did. I’m not going to
sneak
around
like a freaking criminal and check into sleaz
y
pay-by-the-hour
m
otel
s under a fake name just to see her.
”

Lydia’s mouth curved.
“Somehow, I doubt they’d be dirty hotel rooms. This is Raine Montgomery we’
re talking about here, you know.
”

“It doesn’t matter what kind of hotel it is. I’m still no
t doing it, regardless of how I
feel about her.”

“Have you even told her how you feel about her?”

“Why bother?
It wouldn’t change anything.”

“Because if she knew how you felt, maybe she wouldn’t be marrying
Cameron Kincade.
It’s possible she’d give up the whole charade for a shot at the real thing.”

He snorted. Right.
“You
don’t know Raine.
Her career is her number one
priority, and she’ll do whatever it takes to further that
career. Nothing I say
is going to change
her mind.”

“
Maybe you’re right
,
” Lydia conceded. “B
ut it’s also possible you’re wrong.
She came
up here to see you a week before her wedding
. T
hat tells me you’re pretty
damn
important to her.”

Obviously not that important if she was going to marry another man.

“
Logan, do you love her?”

He wanted to say
no,
but the word wouldn’t come out. “I don’t know
.
Maybe.”

“Well, you better figure it out,
bro
, because she’s getting married in two days.
You
owe it to yourself to at least tell her how you feel before it’s too late.”

When he said nothing, she sighed. “Look, I gotta go, or I’ll be late
getting back to work.” She tossed the newspaper on the counter. “D
o yourself a favor and take my advice. Tell
Raine how you feel, or you’re
going to
regret
it for the rest of your life.”

As the front door closed,
Logan
’s gaze went to the copy of
The
National Investigator
on the counter. He picked
it up
and
studied the photo
of him and Raine.
It
was hard to
look at her without his chest
tightening up.

When
Lydia
had asked
if he loved Raine, he
’
d
said he didn’t know
because he
honestly didn’t. W
hat he felt for Raine was more intense than anything he’d ever felt for another woman
, that was for damn sure.
But he’d only know
n
her a few weeks.
Was it
possible to fall in love that quickly?
Or was he just
confus
ing lust with love?

He swore under his breath and tossed the newspaper
on the counter.
He
’
d thought
going for
a run would help take his mind off Raine, but
thanks to
his sister, he was more pre-occupied than before.
Lydia’s advice was sound, but he wasn’t sure he had
the courage to take
it.
What if he confessed his feelings
to
Raine
—
whatever they were
—a
nd she
didn’t feel the same?
She
’
d said she wanted to keep seeing him on t
he side.
That wasn’t the same thing as love. And she
’
d made it clear she needed
to go through with
this marriage
for
her career. Why
the hell
would
she give everything
up
just
because a small-time artist from Seattle t
hought he was in love with her?
Did he even have the right to put her in that kind of position—make her choose between him and her career?

Raine’s wedding day should have been the happiest of her life, but when it dawned sunny and beautiful, all she could do was groan and pull the covers over her head.
God,
how she wished she could stay in bed all day.

But there was hair to
style
, make-up to put on, and pictures to take. Reginald had even arranged
for her to do
an interview with
Modern Bride
before she left for the church.  Along with exclusive photos, the magazine would get to hear all about ho
w she prepared for the big day.

“And don’t worry about anyone mentioning McBride,” her manager had assured her when she’d protested. “I told the media he’s
an old lover
who was wishing you well on your marriage.”

At the end of the day, everyone wanted this to be a fairy tale wedding,
so they were
willing to overlook anything that got in the way.

And
Modern Bride
was just the beginning.  E! would be filming during the ceremony and the reception that followed. There
’
d be other film crews as well, along with a
horde
of photographers. Which was as it should be, Reginald had
insisted.

“Your
wedding to Cameron
is
the
major Hollywood event.
”

So, Raine smiled like the actress she was while the photographers from
Modern Bride
snapped her picture. After the interview, it was into the limo for the drive to the church, during which she sat in silence while Chloe
alternated between r
ead
ing
through Reginald’s list of last-minute instructions
and trying to talk her out of going through with the wedding.
Raine only
listen
ed with half an ear.
Everything was starting to move to
o quickly
for her to keep up with, like a movie on fast forward.
But
like with everything else in her life, it
didn’t matter.
Chloe and R
eginald would be there to nudge
her in the right direction. She was simpl
y an actress playing her part.

They arrived at the church to find flocks of fans waiting to get their first glimpse of the bride
.
As she stepped out of the limo,
Raine
forced herself
to smile
, afraid if she didn’t
,
everyone
would see how her heart was breaking. It had been slowly doing so ever since she’d left Logan, but
it
had never felt m
ore painful than it did today. A
rriving at the church had be
en the final straw.
She was about to throw away what was probably the best thing that had ever happened to her. And
for what, so she could
stay on t
he A-
list a little bit longer?

Reginald whisked her and Chloe into the small retiring room in
the back of the
church, then left again.

“It’s not to
o
late to change your mind, you know,” her friend said.

Raine set her bouquet down on the table. “Yes, it is.”

Chloe opened her mouth to almost certainly argue otherwise, but a soft knock on the door interrupted her. Muttering something under her breath, she picked up the skirt of her maid of honor gown and went to answer it
. Hoping her friend would send
whoever it was away, Raine wandered over to the window.

“Raine,” Chloe said softly from behind her. “There’s someone here to see you.”

Raine’s breath hitched.

Logan!

Pulse racing, she whirled around. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the middle-aged couple standing there.

“Mom. Dad.” She hadn’t seen them in so long she almost didn’t recognize them. “I thought you said you weren’t coming.”

Her mother gave her a tremulous smile. “We almost didn’t. But then we realized how much of your life we’ve already missed since you left home. We didn’
t want to
miss any more.
Certainly not your wedding day.
”

She held out her arms and Raine rushed into them, hugging first her mother, th
en
her father.

“You look so beautiful.” Her mother’s eyes went wide. “Oh! I almost forgot.” She opened her small purse and took out a jewelry box. Inside, was an antique heart-shaped locket. “This is for you.
It’s been in our family for generations. Your great--grandmother wore it at her wedding, you grandmother wore it at hers, I wore it when I married your father, and now that you’re marrying the man you love, I hope you’ll wear it.
”

Raine swallowed hard. If she truly were marrying the man she loved, s
he would be honored to wear it. But wearing it to this sham of a wedding would be a slap in the face to generations of women in her family. How could she tell her mother that, though?

“Raine?” her mother prompted when she didn’t answer.

She tried to speak, but nothing would come out. Luckily, Chloe came to the rescue.

“Here, why don’t you let me put it on for you?”

Taking the locket, she put it around Raine’s neck and fastened the clasp
. To Raine, it
might as well have been a noose.

In the main part of the church, the Wedding March began to play. Chloe handed Raine her bouquet.

“I think that’s our cue,” she said quietly.

Raine’s father offered his arm. “Shall we?”

She nodded, tears welling in her eyes.
Out in the hallway,
Reginald
nodded approvingly
as one trickled down her cheek.